I think we should all go to a party. And we should all eat this. I know it doesn’t look like much. I’m sure you’ve seen cheese spread on a slice of baguette. It probably looked prettier than this too; less blue more smooth. But lean in for a moment because I have to tell you: this is brilliant. And I can’t believe I’ve lived most of my life without knowing it. Don’t let it happen to you.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
 KQED | 2021-01-20 12:00:00 |  219,603 Views |
Fromage Fort: Homemade Cheese Spread | Jacques Pépin Home Cooking | KQED
You know that thing that happens when you have friends over? No I don’t mean the Santa Baby sing-along or the red-wine-on-the-white-couch thing or the ouch-my-head-hurts-the-next-day thing although those are all great too. What I mean is that we usually go to a cheese shop or a counter and pick up a bunch of wedges of this and that and put them with the wine and bread and at the end of the night there’s always a pathetic little glass of wine left and a few pieces of cheese. Maybe they end up in the trash. They shouldn’t. And they won’t anymore because let me introduce you to (drumroll Oprah voice please)… fromage fort!
Translated as “strong cheese” it’s a wonderfully frugal mix of whatever cheeses you have lying around some wine garlic salt pepper and herbs if you’re so inclined. Softer cheeses will make it creamier. Harder cheeses can benefit from a pat of butter. You can use it right away or let it “mature” for another week is safest. For a treat put your slice of bread with the fromage fort under the broiler. If it’s on the soft side dip things like grissini or other seeded breadsticks in it. But other than that there are no rules. There are few recipes just outlines. The important thing is to just go for it.
Fromage Fort is forgiving. It takes all sorts—your stale stale Gruyère your poor white wine choices your huddled masses of Brie yearning for freedom (sorry America)—and blends them together into something infinitely greater than its components. Plus there’s always a little bit of snowflake-y specialty to it because no two batches will ever be exactly the same. In a year of carefully curated slightly obsessive over-the-top many-component personal Mount Everest recipes this is the most fitting way to ring in the year.
